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Iraqi Army Captures Bomb Makers; New Security Station Opens in Ramadi

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 30, 2006  Iraqi police and soldiers captured members of a bomb-making cell and several weapons caches over the weekend.

Special Iraqi police forces with coalition advisors yesterday captured nine members of a bomb-making cell and a cache of weapons, improvised explosive devices and components for making IEDs in Kut. Iraqi police secured and searched multiple objectives and detained the bomb maker and other cell members without incident. The IED cell is responsible for attacks against Iraqi civilians employed by coalition forces. They are also suspected of constructing and placing IEDs in and around Kut.

A mortar system, assault rifles, full ammunition magazines, grenades, a completed IED and components for building other IEDs were found and secured during the raid. Operations on the objective caused minimal damage.

Elswhere yesterday, special Iraqi army forces with coalition advisors captured a large weapons cache and components used for making improvised explosive devices in Western Baghdad.

Iraqi forces established a cordon around the Shansal Mosque and entered to search for IED components and weapons believed to be stored there. Insurgents operating against Iraqi civilians and Iraqi army soldiers in the Jihad district were using the items found. The weapons and IED components were turned over to coalition forces and an explosive ordnance team for security and disposal. Three suspected insurgents with false identification cards were detained.

Only minor damage to the mosque was reported. There were no casualties among Iraqi civilians, Iraqi forces or coalition forces.

In other news from Iraq, Multinational Forces West established a central Ramadi security station Oct. 27 as part of its continued operations to eliminate insurgents there.

The establishment of the security station will increase security for the citizens, officials said. More than eight new positions in the city have been established since June. The central Ramadi security station is near a recent demonstration by insurgents claiming the establishment of an Islamic Republic. As part of recent operations, several insurgents were either killed or wounded this weekend near this location. There were no reports of civilian or coalition casualties.